Gian van Veen survives James Wade fightback to reach first World Matchplay semi-final with 16-13 victory

On the stage

The quarter-final at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool opened sluggishly, with both Gian van Veen and James Wade struggling to find their scoring rhythm. Van Veen, the 24-year-old from Andel who finished runner-up at this year's World Championship, was the first to create separation. After a break following the first interval, he moved 4-2 ahead, and a further break at the end of the second session gave him a 6-4 cushion. Neither player was producing the kind of scoring that had carried them through earlier rounds, and the crowd acknowledged it was not the most spectacular contest. Still, Van Veen's superior finishing kept him in control through the middle phase of the match.

The 160 moment and Wade's response

The highlight of the contest came when Van Veen produced a 160 checkout to stretch his lead to 9-6, drawing loud cheers from the Winter Gardens crowd and a look of surprise even from the man who threw it. He extended the advantage to 11-7, and at four legs clear the match appeared decided. James Wade, a notoriously tenacious opponent, then launched his comeback with two bullseye finishes and a 121 checkout that levelled the score at 11-11. Van Veen responded with a 118 checkout of his own to reclaim the lead, but Wade broke back again, and the contest swung into a tense final stretch.

Van Veen's own assessment

After the match, Van Veen was blunt about his performance.

I was scoring so badly. My scoring has been okay throughout the whole tournament, but today it was just not at the required level. The finishing helped me through.

He described the contest as a tense battle and acknowledged the work ahead of him. With roughly twenty hours until the semi-final, Van Veen said he needed to reset. He expressed hope that he would be much better on Saturday evening.

The final legs

With the score at 12-12, both players finally began to produce better darts. Van Veen broke Wade in the 26th leg to go 14-12 ahead, only for the Englishman to strike back immediately. A further Van Veen break moved him to 15-13, and this time Wade could not answer. Van Veen stepped up and landed his first match dart on double 20, sealing a 16-13 victory and a place in Saturday's semi-final against Gerwyn Price.

The road to a Dutch final

Earlier in the evening, Gerwyn Price defeated Ross Smith 16-12 in a match that followed a similar pattern, with Price building an early lead, allowing Smith back to 12-12, and then pulling clear. The other semi-final features Dirk van Duijvenbode against defending champion and reigning world champion Luke Littler, who booked his last-four spot a day earlier. Two Dutch players in the semi-finals means an all-Netherlands final remains a live possibility at the Winter Gardens.